Doctor Doctor...

Uggh!! Why oh why is my body so jacked up? I think somewhere deep inside, I thought that if I had a "normal" pregnancy that somehow my body would just snap into where it should be. HA! Not this ole body.
I have done everything I know to change my day in and day out to help with my PCOS. I have lowered my sugar intake, my carbs..ect. I've been on weight watchers since September, and lost 51 pounds. I am officially three pounds lighter than I was on my wedding day, and with just seven pounds to go... I will weigh what I did when I was 17 years old.
Unfortunately, I don't think any of that has helped my symptoms. But that's okay... I feel so much healthier, and just better in general.
One thing I've been told a million times about PCOS is that symptoms can improve by losing just 10% of your body weight. They also say by losing that ten percent, you could become fertile >.< ha! ;)
Speaking of which...I had an extremely vivid dream a few weeks back that I was pregnant. Not only did I have the dream and wake up in a panic...when I fell back asleep, I had the same exact dream again. This dream was SO convincing that I went out and bought pregnancy tests. Whew! This was one time that I wasn't so disappointed to see that lonely one line on the result screen.
I had to call Dr.Garcia's office (let me just say...when you have a doctor that is a private practice... they are not easy to get in touch with!) last week with some (what I thought) major issues with my birth control. By the time I convinced myself to call the office, I had also convinced myself that I may possibly have something more than PCOS.
To my surprise (and delight) it was Dr.Garcia that returned my call. Is it weird that I was excited to talk to him? He didn't express too much concern, at least not enough to where he thought that I should come in. I initially thought that I should go in for an ultrasound to check out my ovaries...since nothing has really been looked at since having the babies. Makes me kind of nervous. He said that it could be a number of things, one being that my uterus lining is thicker than usual. He also said that it could be something as simple as my body has not yet adapted to Sprintec, seeings as I have only been on it for two months (three months?). He hesitated... but then told me that though it was unlikely, he wanted to know if I had accidentally missed any pills...because what I described COULD be the signs of early miscarriage.
I'll be honest... this crossed my mind more than once. But the fact that I've had the same issues two-three months in a row... I was pretty sure that was ruled out. So I had to break down and tell Dr.Garcia about my crazy realistic dream, and that it was so real I took a pregnancy test. He was so relieved when I told him that it was negative, and he said that he felt a lot better about my issues.
So...I guess I just deal with them. Dr.G said that if they continue, or if I am uncomfortable that he may reconsider seeing me. Bleh. I think it's just a case of Desiree's body is screwed up. :)
And that concludes my little rant about my body and PCOS. Thank you :)

NINE months!

On April 18th, Clif and I took the babies for their nine month check up with Dr.Craft. That in itself was eventful.

Let me just say that we do not plan on going to the doctors office 3 babies vs. 2 parents again for a long while. We are already making plans to have a third set of hands for their one year check up. :)

All three babies are completely healthy. Dr.Craft says that he could not be more pleased. And the kids could not possibly look any better. **enter sigh of relief here** They were nine weeks early, born at 31 weeks. At nine months old, Dr.Craft says that size wise, and developmentally... they are that of a full term eight month old. Only a month behind? Not too shabby.

Eli weighed in at a whopping 19lbs6oz...and 27 inches tall! Such a BIG boy, and full of energy. Though Eliw as born first, Easton has normally been the leader in "new" things. But not lately! It seems just like yesterday that Eli started sitting up on his own by accident...and then sitting up on cue...then pulling up. NOW...if you saw him, you might just call CPS on us. This poor Chunky Monkey has so many bruises on his poor little noggin. :) He is on the move ALL THE TIME. No lie...crawling, pulling up... I honestly believe that he will be walking by one year if not before. Eli has EIGHT teeth...and LOVES to bite Mommy, Brother, & Sister.

Easton isn't too far behind Eli! Easton weighs 18lbs6oz, and is 27 1/4 inches tall. This little boy will steal your heart with one glance. Something about those crystal blue eyes and powder blonde hair. Easton is also on the move! It's so hard to keep up these days. He is a dare devil, and his new found favorite thing is finger foods and Elmo. :) Easton has *almost* five teeth...and has been relieving some of his pain on daddy's overgrown hair.

Elliana is still petite but is gaining on the boys. Miss Prissy Butt weighed in at 15lb11oz, and 25 1/4 inches tall. What a little princess! Her hair is thickening...and her poor little bald spot on the back of her head is almost completely covered in hair :) Elliana is ALSO on the move...going anywhere her little heart desires. She LOVES to explore everything within reach by scratching it. Elliana has *almost* four teeth...and is slowly but surely realizing that she can finally bite her big brother Eli back! Elliana also recently started saying "Mama"... actually, she has been saying it for almost a week now (she said it for the first time last Sunday morning)! Also in her vocab, "Baba"...we aren't a hundred percent sure if she is saying bottle, or "bye bye". Either way it's adorable. :) She also loves to clap her hands.

All three babies are beautiful gifts from God and we seriously could not feel more blessed to have them in our lives. :)

breathe in...breathe out...repeat

:) I think life is about 95% back to full swing.

Crazy. Gotta love it.

Though I hate being away from my family, I have to admit that I have enjoyed being back at work. Being part of the real grown up world again. Definitely tough, but something that I knew I would have to do eventually.

Clif continues his position as "stay at home dad" for the time being. Please be in prayer with us as we are waiting to hear back about a job that he applied for. It's been a long process... and we both fully believe that God will provide. I honestly think that Clif will be offered this job, it just takes forever for everything to go through. It was around a three month hiring process for his former job. :) We are almost at three months since he sent in his application. They just finished up another portion of the hiring process, and we are awaiting a phone call from the person with the final say. Please pray with us that if this be His will, that Clif might even get a phone call on Monday saying that he has the job!

Clif left his former place of employment for the better of our family. We both were completely at peace with the decision. Fully trusting that God would provide. And He has in so many ways, and I know that He won't stop here! :) It was easy at first, but it's slowly getting a bit stressful. We do have three children to provide for...:) And HE knows that. All will be well. I have no doubt.

The babies are doing wonderful! :) We took them for their nine month check up on the 18th of April (post to come).

Clif and I have big plans for our five year anniversary...which is coming up FAST (not to mention our precious little ones turning ONE)!! My parents have agreed to keep the babies for the entire day. We'll be getting up early, heading out for a nice breakfast...and then a road trip out of town! We're heading to Harrisonburg...to give our gifts to one another. New INK!

I am beyond excited. FINALLY...after all these years of saying that a certain person would tattoo me (because I know him)...he's finally going to do it! Appointment is set, and tattoo idea is in my head. YAY! I would share more... but I don't want to spoil it.

Well, basically... I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still alive. I have so much to say... but never enough time to say it. :) Don't give up on me!

Twenty-Nine Months in Heaven

Friday the 13th.

Again.

Every.single.time. the 13th ends up on a Friday...it stings a little bit more than it did the time before.

Twenty nine months since we said hello...

Twenty nine months since we said goodbye...

...nothing changes it. And nothing makes it better.

Happy 29 months in Heaven, Lilly Bean. Mommy & Daddy love you.

Happy Easter!

I feel like I am completely out of touch with everyone and everything. And while I hate it, it's what I've gotten used to. I've finally come to the conclusion that life is not going to get any less hectic anytime soon. So I might as well embrace the craziness and move on :)

Today is Easter, well...at least for the next couple of days. We had a busy day, and are just settling in at home. Babies bathed, fed them dinner, played, bottles...and now all three are sleeping soundly in their cribs.Thank goodness!

This Easter was most definitely different than any in our past. :) A good different. I so enjoyed having three very special little ones with us today!

On a day like today (Easter) I cannot help but think of our Sweet Lilly Bean. Not because she isn't with us today... but, because He is risen...we will see our little girl again someday. 

It's been a while since I've been here...and I feel like there are a million things that I want to catch up on. :) But never seem to have the time...

Poor babies have been sick for a week and a half now :( They had a nasty cold (Dr.C said that it could be a slight case of RSV). Easton & Elliana had ear infections...and Eli had to get a nebulizer. Yuck! Needless to say it's been a long stressful for Mommy & Daddy this week. Whew...

My parents came over Friday night and baby sat so that I could take Clif out for his birthday! I took him out for Japanese and then to see "The Hunger Games". Great night! Plus...Mom and Dad spent the night, so we were able to get seven hours of consecutive sleep for the first time in almost two weeks!! Soooo thankful for parents that are willing to help out!

Being back to work has been good for me, I think... but stressful on all of us. Clif is still without a job, so he's been playing Mr.Mom for a month now. >.< Please pray with us concerning this as he is waiting to hear back about a job. We are praying praying praying because he would be able to stay in the same line of work, BUT, it would be a Monday through Friday,8-5 schedule. :) Not to mention all federal holidays!! It would be SUCH a blessing, but most definitely leaving it in God's hands.

i miss my friend(s)

I miss my friends. Ha! Isn’t that an old country song? Hm. No…seriously I really really miss my friends. I realized while getting ready for work this morning that I feel so incredibly disconnected from my friends. And at first thought, I was like…”I don’t know how it got like this”. But then again… I guess it all started when I found out that I was pregnant with triplets. Anyone that knows me at all knows that I was pins and needles, especially for the first 12 weeks or so. I watched every single thing that I ate, I didn’t drink caffeine, I didn’t eat an abundance of sodium. I didn’t lift anything over 10 pounds. I made sure that my seatbelt wasn’t too tight…that I didn’t go over bumps to quickly…that I didn’t sleep on my belly. Sheesh! I get all nervous just talking about how careful I was. I remember being terrified to even RIDE in a car, let alone drive. Especially after we hit a deer (going 60+ MPH) when I was just 5 weeks pregnant! I was afraid to do anything, or go anywhere. And then by the time I was past that stage, I was too fat & tired to do anything. An hour of being on my feet and I was completely exhausted. That lasted right up to the time that Dr.G took me out of work. And that’s when my seven weeks of bed rest began. Ugh! And then I really couldn’t do anything. For the four-five weeks that the babies were in the NICU, we were able to get together with a few people for dinner, ect… but it was always rushed because we were always in a hurry to get back to the hospital to see the babies. Not only do I feel disconnected from my friends…but my family…oh and don’t even get me started on my church family. The last time we were in our church as a family was the day before Thanksgiving. >.< Since then, we have switched off Sundays…and it’s either me, or Clif that goes. Thank God for RSV season coming to a close! I am SO ready to get back into the full swing of my life. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I love my life, and I would not trade it for the world. Seriously. I love my babies, and I love being a Mom. And I also understand that all of these feelings I am having are all part of parenthood…with a little added because of the babies being nine weeks early. Honestly, if I think about it… I get really depressed. But in the same breath, I get it. Ya know? I don’t even know if I’m making sense. J I feel like everyone thinks I have cut myself off from them…and I hate that they might think that, or feel like that. I promise it hasn’t been intentional. *sigh* I really hate this. Now with me being back at work, there is even more to juggle. And since everyone KNOWS that I’m trying to juggle, I feel as if everyone has just taken another step back from me…in a good way, to give me my space. BUT… I don’t want my space. I still want to talk to friends, get together with friends…it’s just a little more hectic than it used to be. I guess I should apologize to you all. I know you all know who you are. I promise I have not TRIED to distance myself. Life has been crazy, some days I am so completely overwhelmed that I can’t breathe. I still care… I’m just learning how to do all this. Please don’t give up on me.

Green means GO!

And they're off...!!!

My {not so little} babies are growing...way too fast for my liking,. They are all on the verge of crawling... all three can get into the crawling position and rock back and forth. Eli has actually crawled a few inches. All three can sit up for a good while...and....
                                                    Eli got himself from the laying down position to the sitting up position...
                                                                 

all by himself.

Boo. :) I am thrilled that our children are developing {almost} right on "schedule" compared to what a full term baby would. But I am definitely not liking the fact that they aren't tiny little five pounds babies that need me to do EVERY LITTLE THING for them anymore. I don't think I'm ready for this. Ha!

I finished up my second week of work as of yesterday. :) The second week was most definitely better than the first. I managed to keep the tears at bay, for the most part. I also felt a little more confident doing what I do, so that helped too!

Being back at work doesn't change anything...life still proves to be insanely busy, all the time. Monday started with running late leaving work, going to the funeral home for visitation of a sweet little lady that passed away.

The rush rush rush to grab dinner and zoom home in time to help Clif finish feeding the babies dinner. Whew.

And that's pretty much how every single day went this week, minus the funeral home thing.

I did manage to try a new, REALLY GOOD crock pot recipe. Compliments of Pinterest.com, aka: my new obsession.

Here it is: Shredded Chicken Tacos. Boneless chicken breast, jar of salsa...package of chicken taco mix. DONE. Throw it in the crock pot, high for four hours. YUM-O! Oh my goodness. We put it on warm tortillas with cheese (fat free!) and low fat sour cream. Accompanied by my Chipotle Copy Cat Guacamole & baked tortilla chips. Cheap, easy and sooooooo good :) Perfect for the working Mommy.

Ugh, I forgot to mention that we had our first accident involving a baby this week. Monday...midst the craziness of every day life, Eli...fell off our kitchen table. Yes yes, we're horrible parents. lol At least that's how Clif felt. He was the one home with them when it happened. He was strapped into a bouncer chair type thing, and...BOOM...leaned forward...and fell off. Thank GOD there was a chair that caught him. He had an instant goose egg, but was fine...and yes, we called the doctor. Three times I think. :)

Today is St.Pattys day. Daddy is still in bed, babies are in the floor fighting sleep. After lunch time bottles, we are headed out for the day. Lunch for Mommy & Daddy, and then shopping for the whole family. :) I am loving this warm weather, and that RSV season is coming to a close.

Rest in Peace.

Just got word that one of our precious church members made her way to Heaven, sometime around one o'clock this morning. <3
We'll miss you, Mrs.Conner. We love you.

I {think I} will survive.

...so far, I have. :) Survived my first week back to work, that is.

It was long...and emotional...and just down right HARD to be away from my babies. BUT... the Lord is good, and has provided wonderful people to talk care of the kids. My mom, and of course... Clif! I am SO proud of how Clif stepped up this week and helped out SOOOO much. Until Wednesday he had never had an entire day where he was responsible for EVERYTHING that had to do with the babies! BUT...he did it, AND had dinner started. :) Love my husband.

Please continue to pray that God would open a door for Clif, job wise. He's been hitting the pavement ALL week long, and had a few leads... but nothing huge. We are continuing to trust that there is something SO much better out there!

Well, I'm off of here to go spend some time with my Love's. :) I think my first week of work calls for lunch & shopping (grocery that is) Ha!

Be blessed.

Excitement!

:) I'm excited. About several things.

First, I'm really excited about our family date today! With RSV season coming to a close, we are celebrating by having a little outing... just the five of us! I was able to find a lady on FB with a double stroller for sale, and my Dad and I met her last night to pick it up! Now we can take the kids out, Boys in the double...Elliana in her single, and not have to stop every five steps because we have a massive triple stroller. If you have multiples, you know what I mean. I love that people want to look at my kids, but I can't get anything accomplished when I have to stop for every single person to look and ask, "oh, triplets?"

Second... I have been attending weight watchers since mid September. I'm hit or miss to the meetings because of babies, and soon to be work....but...I stick to the ww plan regardless. It's been a long road... but the end is in sight!! I'm sooooooo excited. As of this morning, I have lost 44 pounds with weight watchers, and a total of 80 pounds since having the babies! I actually feel good on the INSIDE for once, and it's a GREAT feeling. I have given up sodas, #1 because they are horrible, #2 because I think it will help with my weight loss. :) I ordered Clif and I some new jeans (did I mention that Clif has been on Weight Watchers since the week before Christmas, and has lost like 25 pounds? AND almost two pant sizes?) from American Eagle last weekend, because they were having a great sale! I ordered both of our jeans a size smaller than we normally wear...I told him they were our "dream jeans". They arrived...and we BOTH are wearing our new jeans out today!!

Third...I'm to the point where I am ready to work out. Like, I WANT to work out. I am comfortable with my weight (though, I still have 16 pounds to go before I meet my goal)...and I really want to tone everything up! Sooooo I am working on that now. :) This might be TMI, but since I'm going back to work on Monday, I'm going to search out a tanning salon and try to tan (just a few sessions) on my lunch break, in hopes that it will help hide some little stretch marks brought on by two pregnancies. HA! I am HOPING that this will do the trick on my inner thighs... I know, TMI and gross... but oh well. If it doesn't do the trick, I am going to be talking to a dermatologist (I think they are the ones that do it) about laser removal. I know, that sounds crazy. But...I am serious. ANNNNNND...IF I can get the results that I want from either one of those options (plus tone tone tone up!)... I am THINKING about getting a VERY meaningful tat. I have it all in my head and I am at the about to bust, squeal, and jump up and down point. :) I grew up around this guy that works in a shop a few hours away from where we live. He has done two tats for Clif, one on his back in memory of Lillian Joy, and then a cover up. He does AWESOME work. Soooo...I am thinking about calling him in about a month or so and getting him to go ahead and draw it up for me. I have always always always wanted Andy to tattoo me... and with every single one I have gotten, I still haven't managed to get him! :) I wanted him to do my Lily tat, but he was booked solid (which he normally is), so his friend did it for me. This time, I'm not letting anyone do it but Andy. And I am SOO excited. Even though I haven't totally decided to get it done.

WHOA...too much caffeine in my tea?? I am all hyped up. Better jump off of here and put this energy to use! A family day date involves a very detailed check list. And yes, you can laugh at me for that. :)